Curiosity about the solar system has been the driving force behind my career as a planetary geochemist, NASA mission science team member, asteroid miner, and applied planetary scientist.

After earning a Ph.D. in planetary geochemistry at the University of Colorado at Boulder, I worked on NASA’s MESSENGER mission to Mercury. I leveraged that mission experience as Director of Data Products at Planetary Resources, Inc., the asteroid mining company. There I led a team in the science definition of an asteroid prospecting mission.

From this experience, I found my passion for working in NewSpace at the intersection of planetary science and space mission engineering. Now as an Applied Planetary Scientist at First Mode, I provide innovative commercial solutions to the engineering challenges faced by earth and planetary scientists who seek to robotically explore our solar system.

I also share my experiences as a planetary scientist worked at the intersections—the colliding worlds—of academia & commercial space and scientists & engineers in my blog, Colliding Worlds: